Garage door control device



March 14, 1933. I E 5 BAGLEY 1,900,901

GARAGE DOOR CONTROL DEVICE Filed May 27, 1929 ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 14, 1933 EDWARD S. BAGLEY, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT GARAGE noon con'rnor. DEVICE,

Application filed May 27,

My invention relates to improvements in garage door control devices for use with inter-connected right and left doors, and the object of my improvement is to produce a garage door control device that involves the use of parts that are relatively simple and easy to assemble and to install, and in some instances comprising extension means permitting of swinging a door farther around towards the garage wall on the outside than is usual with such inter-connected doors.

In the accompanying drawing Figure 1 is a plan view, essentially diagrammatic, of a pair of doors that are equipped with control devices embodying my invention, including an extension bracket on one of the doors.

I Fig. 2 is a side elevation, also diagrammatic, of thetrack and associated parts, in-

cludin the s rin cli at the lintel and the g P g P tension support for the outer end of the track. Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of the spring clip or catch.

Fig. 4 is a plan view showing a latch strucure with the moving element incorporated with one of the connecting rods.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view on the line 6-6 of Fig.1.

Fig. 7 is a sectional view on the line 77 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 8 is a sectional view on the line 8-8 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 9 is a view of the extension bracket shown in Fig. 1. I

My improved garage door control deviceis adapted for use with doors 10 that are arranged as mating right and left doors to meet in the middle to close the doorway opening. Thus the doors 10 are supported by hinges from the right and left doorway posts 11 or the like and the free ends 12 of said doors are opposed at the middle of said opening well known My improvement resides in the 929. seriai'no. 366,272.

specificv form and arrangement of some of the parts that are involved.

Thus there is a connecting-rod or link. 13 for each door 10; a-moving member 14 connected to the two links 13; and a track 15 for said moving member 14. One end of the. link 13 in each case is connected by a pivotal connection 16 to the middle portion 17 of the door 10 slightly below the top edge 18 thereof. The other inner ends 19 of the links 13 60.

are superimposed one upon the other and provided with suitable openings for making pivotal connection with a stud or bolt 20'that is a part of the moving member 14.

The track 15 projects rearwa-rdly inside the garage from the junction of the door-ends 12, the front end 21 thereof being supported from the lintel 22. Diagonal braces 23 are provided for the track 15 that connect by their front ends with the lintel 22. The rear ends 24 of said braces 23 overlap; are opposed to the bottom face 25 of the track 15; are perforated for admitting the holding bolt 26; and are held in place by means of an upper-nut 27 and abottom nut 28. The holding bolt 26 has a flat head 29 and is entered through a suitable opening 30 in the flat horizontal base portion 31 of the track 15.

The moving member 14 slides on the base portion 31 mentioned, and in the present instance on the upper face 32 thereof.

For supporting the inner or rear end 33 of the track 15 I find that a relatively simple tension support 34 sufiices, such as a. cable or the like that is hung from an overhead beam tion 31 and are integral therewith, said side guides and base portion being provided by a track structure of channel form.

The moving member 14 is of elemental simplicity, consisting merely of a headed bolt that rides on its head 37 and that has the 5 screw-threaded body portion upwardly directed to provide the stud v or bolt 20 already mentioned and on which the link ends 19 are mounted. Above said ends 19 one or mor nuts 38 may be screwed. I

. operative clearance.

The bolt head 37 is an operative fit in the channel space provided.

Means for preventing the moving member or bolt 14 from jumping the track are provided in the form of a check member 39 that bridges the upper side of the channel space 40 and is virtually wrapped around the channel structure or track 15 and has inwardly turned holding edges or flanges 41 that engage with the bottom face 25 thereof.

Said check member 39 is made of a plain strip of sheet metal that has an opening 42 for the stud 20; that has the middle portion 43 interposed between the bolt head 37 and the opposed link 13; that is bent symmetrically around the track 15; and that has the side parts 44 projected downwardly for properly locating the free ends that constitute the flanges 41.

A spring catch or clip 45 that is mounted on the upper side of the front end 21 of the track 15, adjacent the lintel 22, may be provided for holding the doors in the open position and is adapted to engage with the top end portion 46 of the upwardly directed studlike portion 20 of the bolt 14 that constitutes the essential portion of the moving member. The rearwardly directed body portion 47 of the catch 45 is shaped so that as it engages the bolt end portion 46 it is lifted responsive to longitudinal movement of the bolt one way or the other so as to permit the moving member to be either engaged therewith for holding or to be released.

Referring to the nuts on the bolt 26 for the braces 23, the upper nut 27 provides the necessary spacing of the braces below the track 15 and the check flanges or holding edges 41 for That is to say, the brace ends are spaced downwardly from the track so as to permit the moving member to be moved freely along the track notwithstanding the fact or facts that the braces are secured to the under side of the track and the holding edges or flanges 41 engage with the under side of the track. The nut 27 is smaller in diameter than the space between the opposed flanges 41.

The right hand door 10 shown in Fig. 1 has mounted on the inside face thereof an extension bracket 57, the link 13 for this door being connected to the outer end portion 48 thereof, whereby the door can be swung around more closely towards the outside face 49 of the garage wall 50, as may be desired in some cases.

Instead of the spring catch 45 described there may be used a pull latch, such as the structure that is shown in Figs. 4 and 8; comprising a moving structure 51 that is operatively supported by the connecting-rod or link 13 of one of the doors; having a keeper 52 that is secured to the underside of the front end 21 of the track; and operated by a pull-chain 53.

The keeper 52 is in the form of a flat strip of sheet metal that projects to one side of the track 15, towards the left as shown in Fig. 4 so as to be in the path of the trip arm 54 of the moving structure 51 for tripping the same and to engage with the holding face of the nose 55 thereon by its front edge 56.

The moving structure 51 is provided at the front end and located adjacent the door 10 with a release arm 57 from the end of which is hung the pull-chain 53. The body portion 58 of the moving structure 51 is in the form of an elongated rod that extends intermediate the trip arm 54 and the release arm 57 and is operatively supported, as mentioned, by the link 13 for limited rotative movement. Said. link 13 is made of channel iron and the rod-like body structure 58 is held along a corner 59 of the inside thereof by a plurality of clips 60 or the like.

As has been described, the track is opposed to the under face of the lintel and the links extend from the moving member, operating on the upper side of the track, through the door-opening and engage preferably with the upper portions of the doors. To compensate for the differences in elevation various plans may be followed, such as bending the track; bending the links; or spacing the track below the lintel. The last named plan is shown, involving the use of a bracket 61, made of strap iron or the like, that is secured to the lintel 22, and which is provided with a dropped seat 62 to which the track is secured by means of a bolt 63 or the like.

The latch described engages automatically as the doors are swung open to the limitpermitted and is released by the chain, which is conveniently located.

I claim as my invention 1. In a garage door control device, a pair of doors adapted to swing towards each other, a track disposed at right angles to the plane of said doors when the latter are closed, a member movable in said track, a tension member for connecting the rear end of said track to an overhead part of the garage structure, a pair of links pivotally connected at their rear ends to said member at a point above said track, said. links having their forward ends respectively connected to said doors, diagonal braces connected at their forward ends to the lintel of the doorway and having their rear ends connected to the under side of said track, and a member partially encircling said track and associated with said first mentioned member for preventing the latter from jumping the track.

2. In a garage door control device, a pair of hinged doors, a track disposed at right angles to the doors when the latter are in closed position, a member movable in said track, a pair of links having their rear ends pivotally connected to said member and having their forward ends respectively connected to said doors, and a spring catch at the forward end of said track extending longitudinally thereof and having on its rear free end a portion the front and rear sides of which are inclined in opposite directions to the length of the track so as to form cam surfaces, said portion of said catch lying in the path of movement of said member whereby when the doors are swung open said memberwill e11- gage the rear end of said catch and raise the same to permit the member to ride forwardly of said portion and to be resiliently vheld in such forward position, said member when said doors are moved from open position engaging the forward inclined surface of said portion so as to lift said portion and-permit said member to move from latched position 3. In a garage door control device, a channel track comprising a bottom and sides extending upwardly from said bottom, a moving member on said bottom and having a part that projects upwardly above said sides. and means for preventing said moving member from jumping said track in the form of a strap-like structure that comprises a middle portion that is operatively tied to said upwardly projecting part and side portions that respectively extend over the sides of the track and engage by end portions with portions of the bottom of said track.

4:. In a garage door control device, a pair of hinged doors arranged to close towards one another, a track in the form of a channel iron disposed adjacent the tops of said doors and arranged at right angles thereto when the doors are in closed position, said channel iron having upwardly extending side webs with a guide groove therebetween, a member having a head mounted in said groove for sliding movement and engaging the bottom and side walls of said groove, said member having a stem extending upwardly from said head and links pivotally connected at their rear ends to said stem and at their forward ends respectively connected to said doors.

5. In a garage door control device, a pair of hinged doors adapted to close towards one another, a track in the form of a channel iron disposed at right angles to said doors when in closed position and having upwardly extending side webs with a guide groove therebetween, a bolt having a head and an integral threaded stem, said head being slidably mounted in said groove and engaging the bottom and side walls thereof, and the stem extending upwardly from said head, links having adjacent their rear ends openings for receiving said stem whereby said links are pivoted to said member, said links at their forward ends being respectively connected to the upper portions of the doors, and a nut on the upper end of said bolt.

6. In a garage door control device, a pair of hinged doors adapted to close towards one another, a track disposed at right angles to said doors when in closed position and having a guide roove in one of its horizontal faces, a mem er having a head operating in said groove and a stem extending vertically from said head, links having their rear ends pivoted to said stem and their forward ends respectively connected to said doors, and a member extending across said groove and embracing the sides of said channel iron for holding said head in said groove, said member having an opening through which said stem extends.

7. In a garage door control device, a grooved track, a moving member of boltlike form having a head that travels in the groove of said track and a stem projecting from said head, door-operating connectingrods pivoted on said stem and spaced from said head, and an anti-jumping-ofl member, perforated for admitting sald stem, mounted on said stem, and operatively housed in the space between said head and rods, and said member being provided with bent-arm structures that cooperate to substantially encircle said track to prevent separation of the moving member and track under operating conditions.

1 EDWARD S. BAGLEY. 

